1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drag structure for a fishing reel, and more particularly to a drag structure comprising a drag control element contacting a drag assembly to produce a drag force, the drag control element being movable toward and away from the drag assembly thereby to switch between an operational position in which to vary the drag force and an inoperational position in which not to produce the drag force.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the conventional reels having the drag structure as noted above, the drag force is reduced when a fishing line having a small diameter is used. In particular, when a cuttle is fished at a breakwater, a saurel as a live bait is hooked in a point of a fishhook to allure the cuttle thereto. If a resistance is applied when the cuttle bites the saurel and tries to escape, the cuttle tends to release the bait. Therefore, it is required to feed out the fishing line without causing any resistance. In this condition, the drag force is free. After that, the drag force is slightly tightened to take up the fishing line. If the cuttle tries to escape again, the drag force is set to be free. While such a series of operations are effected, a lure hooked by the fishing line is slided to the cuttle. If the cuttle bites a hook hanger of the lure, the drag force is strongly tightened to wind up the fishing line. The lure as noted above is attached to the fishing line through a pair of suspender frames and movable along the fishing line. The hook hanger for picking up the cuttle is attached to an extreme end of a longitudinal frame interconnecting the suspender frames.
When the drag force is tried to be reduced, it is sometimes difficult for the angler to exactly grasp the condition only by a physical feeling based on a counterforce applied from the drag assembly through the drag control element. Particularly, in spinning reels, if a casting operation is carried out in a condition where the drag control element is moved away from the drag assembly not to produce the drag force without returning to the initial condition in which the drag force is produced, the drag control element and the drag assembly are removed from predetermined positions and tend to be cast with a trick device and finally lost.